Combustion
Combustion is popularly thought of as the process of "burning"
something. In a very general sense, combustion is the process of
elements combining with oxygen to produce the corresponding oxides
with the release of energy, often in the form of heat and light. A
common example of combustion is the burning of hydrocarbon fuels to
produce carbon dioxide, water and heat energy. Coal and oil can
contain sulfur compounds, which when burned produce sulfur oxides.
These can combine with water in the atmosphere to produce sulfurous
and sulfuric acid, which come back to earth as "acid rain." Acid
rain is hazardous to the environment, so sulfur is removed from
fuel or the sulfur oxides are scrubbed out of exhaust gases to
reduce the impact on the environment.
Balance the following equation for the combustion of
heptane:
_C7H16 + _ O2 ---> _
CO2 + _ H2O
Add up the coefficients for each substance in the equation. Let
the sum of the coefficients be X.
The coordinates for the cache are: N 36° 10.ABC W 085°
30.DEF
Where:
A= (X/6) - 0.5
B= (X/2) - 9.5
C= (X/10) - 0.70
D= (X/3) - 4
E= (X-7) / 10
F= (X/9) * 2
The first person to find the cache can claim the FTF geocoin left
inside. You will also find the usual chemistry swag in this cache.
You can check your answers for this puzzle on
Geochecker.com.